WASH R&D Centre

Excited to be a part of the testing and performance validation process of Arumloo (Pty) Ltd ultra low flush toilets against a protocol we hope will be included as a performance protocol under #SANS1733 Anu Rachel Thomas Travis Kunnen WASH R&D Centre The South African Sanitation Technology Enterprise Programme (SASTEP)

World Toilet Day 2024. Toilets: A place for peace. One of the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6 is 'Safe toilets for all by 2030’ but the world is seriously off track in meeting this target. There are still 3.5 billion people that live without safely managed sanitation and this includes 419 million people who practise open defecation. Sanitation and water services should be effective, resilient and accessible for all. The UN highlights 3 Key messages that we should know on World Toilet Day: • Toilets are a place for peace. This essential space, at the centre of our lives, should be safe and secure. But for billions of people, sanitation is under threat from conflict, climate change, disasters and neglect. • Toilets are a place for protection. By creating a barrier between us and our waste, sanitation services are essential for public and environmental health. But when toilet systems are inadequate, damaged or broken, pollution spreads and deadly diseases get unleashed. • Toilets are a place for progress. Sanitation is a human right. It protects everyone’s dignity, and especially transforms the lives of women and girls. More investment and better governance of sanitation are critical for a fairer, more peaceful world. Picture: UN Water #worldtoiletday #sanitationforall #SDG6 #aplaceforpeace

🚽🌍 Today is #WorldToiletDay! 🌍🚽 Let’s explore how standards can transform sanitation in South Africa by promoting water-efficient solutions and driving sustainable practices for a better future. In this insightful article, Preyan Arumugam, PhD, Senior Research Scientist at the WASH R&D Centre, UKZN, shares expert perspectives on the crucial role of innovation and policy in shaping the future of sanitation. 🔗 Read it here: https://lnkd.in/gjVZMnyr Let’s commit to equitable access to sanitation for all - because toilets change lives. 🚰💡

RE-ADVERTISEMENT ❗ Please note: This advert is for a fixed term Research Scientist Data Steward position at the WASH R&D Centre working with ETH Zurich on the Openwashdata project. Deadline: 29 November 2024 http://notices.ukzn.ac.za University of KwaZulu-Natal

And that's a wrap... Since 2022, through a project funded by The South African Sanitation Technology Enterprise Programme (SASTEP) we have been facilitating #WISAaccredited trainings to raise awareness around the various product and management standards in Non-Sewered Sanitation. It's been a learning curve for all us trying to disrupt the Sanitation space and making #NonSeweredSanitation the new norm. Many stakeholders ranging from policy makers and regulators, municipal officials, Sanitation engineers and scientists, consultants, researchers, innovators and tech developers sat in these trainings over the last three years to deliver and gain more insight on how we can regulate, uptake and shift towards more sustainable sanitation systems (the new #GoldStandardinSanitation). Now let's move towards further implementation and wider roll out through integrated approaches and partnerships. #FutureofSanitation #SafelyManagedSanitation #ISO30500 #ISO31800 #ISO24521 WASH R&D Centre Water Institute of Southern Africa

Today we celebrate Global Handwashing Day! Highlighting the need to increase awareness and education around the importance of handwashing for health and hygiene. We also focus on the technicalities of attainable handwashing solutions in rural communities throughout Southern Africa https://bit.ly/3VfnbYH #SanitationForAll #SASTEP #sanitationinnovation #sanitationtechnology #NGSKnowledgeHub #GlobalHandwashingD

Last week Susan Mercer and I spent some time at the AIT Global Water & Sanitation Center observing their labs and testing capabilities, and discussing their #ISO17025 accreditation. It was great to see the amazing work they are doing on #NSS. The WASH R&D Centre is also undergoing #ISO17025 accreditation in South Africa. Thank you to Hendra Gupta, Santipong Grailert, Kavinda Gunasekara for hosting us and engaging in valuable discussions on future collaborations.

I attended an engaging  and informative panel discussion on the Stewardship across the antimicrobial life-cycle: Implementing the UNGA (UN general assembly) political declaration in LMICs, chaired by Prof Sabiha Essack at the #WOHC2024. It was highlighted that the stewardship of AMR via a One Health approach is made up of 4 pillars: Demand-driven innovation, Uninterrupted access, Appropriate use and Responsible disposal. A few points that stood out: •It is vital that we also look at the plant and crop from an irrigation perspective and the quality of water used in irrigation practices. In that regard, the plant, human, water nexus should be looked at in greater detail. •The environment tends to become a sink for antimicrobials and one of the panelists highlighted the disposal of medication in pit latrines, septic tanks or buried in the soil. It is evident that there are gaps with regards to AMR in the WASH sector. I hope that more research will be focused on this after the discussions at the #WOHC2024. •Prevention is key...no infection = no antibiotics! •Alot of information is held with field professionals and experts and this knowledge should be disseminated to both those affected in communities and policy makers in government. •AMR is the responsibility of us all! This was a stand out session for me. Thank you to the panelists for the engaging discussion. Sabiha Essack Heiman Wertheim Arshnee Moodley Carlos Bezuidenhout Lise Korsten global One Health Community WASH R&D Centre

Fantastic third day at the 8th World One Health Congress. I attended sessions focusing on the integration of early career scientists into the One Health space, and how to effectively communicate the fundamentals of One Health, the relationship between plant health and One Health, and lastly the One Health aspects of zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance. The highlight of the day was the workshop that spoke to the importance of practicing the correct language in order to effectively introduce and explain One Health to any audience. What I have learnt is that it is imperative to consider the priorities of the given audience in to effectively communicate the importance of One Health and promote the interconnectedness needed to establish cohorts and transdisciplinary relationships needed in this space. If you have any interest in linking the WASH space to One Health, then come through to posters 1468 and 1480 this evening during the closing networking session. WASH R&D Centre global One Health Community #8thWOHC #OneHealth